Faces of Time
by silverwolf-fox
Summary: From apprentice Bookgirl to Noah slave to family, Jikoku bears with new emotions as she gets closer to the people she was taught were evil. She hopes the Black Order will come for her but becomes afraid that she won't want to leave. DevittoxOCxJasdero
1. Chapter 1

**Hey peeps.**

**This is the fanfic I'm gonna be working on while I wait for my flashdrive to be returned into my possession.**

**Thank you.**

**--**

**Alright, let me explain something. In the summary it says DevittoxOCxJasdero. Don't think badly of me but this does not mean it's some sort of love triangle. Because they join together to become Jasdevi I believe that to be with one you are with the other. Understand that while my OC, Jikoku, will find this weird and more than a little awkward, Devitto and Jasdero do not. If you have a problem with the fact she's going to end up with basically both of then you just don't have to read my fanfiction. Thank you.**

A moss green eye and ocean blue eye stared at the long table where six people sat eating. Her golden colored hair spilled over her shoulders as she pushed it behind her ear. Five of them had gray skin and crosses going across their foreheads while the one at the front was large with a top hat and giant teeth.

"How the fuck did this happen?" she commented.

_Flashback!_

Jikoku stomped through the halls of the Black Order, her eyes narrowed in a determined fury. She had a deadly aura surrounding her. Her eyes scanned every person in the hallway as she passed until she reached the railed edge of the floor near the core of the Black Order where she could look down onto the main floor. _Where is he?_ she thought malisciously.

THERE!

A head of red hair stuck out of the crowd. It was him. Jikoku reached down to the pocket attached to the studded belt hanging on her hips and pulled out a small book. It was black leather that was lined with silver. Silver edges, silver spine, silver corners, and a silver circle on the front that was connected to the sides by four silver lines. Inside the circle was the Black Order insignia. It matched nicely with her Exorcist jacket that had a high collar and cut off just below her boobs. The sleeves were long, covering part of her hands, and there were three zippers: one on the front, and one going up each sleeve to the edge of the collar. She wore a tight black, sleeveless shirt that just reached the rim of her pants underneath. Her pants were black with a single white line going down the front of each leg and also had two white lines above and below each knee. They were tucked into her mid-calf black boots that had silver buttons on the outer sides.

Damn him. He was obviously flirting with one of the newbies to the Black Order. Jikoku's eye twitched as she raised up her book, which just so happened to be her Innocence, took aim, and threw it.

She always did have great aim.

--

Lavi was having a nice day. A new girl joined the Order today so he was…suggesting to her that they could go out as he…explained all about how the Black Order worked. Then a book slammed into his head.

"LAVI! YOU'RE A DEAD MAN!" A chill ran up his back as he slowly turned, just soon enough to see his fellow Bookman apprentice, or as she would say Book_girl_, jump from the second floor down to the ground. He attempted to say something, perhaps a poor excuse but she cut him off. "Do you really think you could leave me to do all that work by myself and not have to face the consequences?" He opened his mouth to say something but she didn't give him the chance. "I never even got to eat breakfast or lunch today because I was too busy doing all the organizing and re-writing you left when you ditched me!" Lavi once again tried to say something but she kept on ranting. "And don't even try to say I could have come to get you earlier because you know how I get when given an assignment!"

Wishing that her yelling would end, Lavi grabbed the back of her head and pulled her to him, slamming his lips onto her's.

--

Jikoku's eyes widened when her brain finally registered that Lavi was kissing her and she swung her hand up and slapped him. A bright red hand mark was left on his cheek as she promptly started to spit, wanting to get the germs out of her mouth. Actually, he was doing the same thing.

"What the fuck was that for?" she demanded, holding herself back from punching him.

"You wouldn't stop yelling at me!" he responded.

"Well I wouldn't have been yelling at you if you would have helped out!" she retorted. Lavi huffed and turned around to speak with the hot girl who, unknown to him, had left once Lavi kissed Jikoku. Without a word he went off to sulk and whine to Allen and Yu and Lenalee. Jikoku sighed and picked up her Innocence book and placed it back inside her belt pocket.

She needed to get away. It wasn't like anyone would notice she was gone. She didn't have a lot of friends like Lavi did…mainly because since Lavi ditched his work so much to hang out with that Allen guy and those others Pandaface pushed all the work onto her saying it was her own fault if she couldn't get him to focus. Sometimes, or a lot of the time, being a Bookgirl SUCKED ASS!

--

Jikoku kicked a rock along with her as she walked. She had pretty much just left since she had finished all that work **by herself** (STUPID LAVI!) and was walking down the large mountain towards the forest that surrounded the Black Order's mountain setting. She shouldn't be so mad but, well, she supposed it was how things were going to end up. She did all the work while Lavi messed around or went on some missions with his friends but it was guaranteed that he would be the successor as the next Bookman. All because he was a damn boy. She was allowed to train and everything but there is a reason the position is called Book_man. _It's not that Pandaface is sexist or even the Bookman before him but that's just been the tradition in their clan as far as anyone can remember. She always knew it would end up like this but she couldn't help but wish that Lavi would at least look like he was working hard.

She kicked the rock a little too hard and it landed in a shrubbery. Something yelped and she went quiet, becoming cautious. She ducked down to the ground and slowly moved closer. She reached out a hand and brushed the leaves aside to see nothing but a tiny little squirrel apparently cursing her little rock.

"Well that was anticlimactic," she breathed, standing back up, but as she turned around to keep walking she bumped into somebody. Despite the annoyance that still burned within her from dealing with Lavi, she tried her best to sound polite as she apologized.

At least until she looked up at who it was. Her eyes widened as her breath hitched and she took a step back.

"Y-you're th-the Mill-Millenni-Millennium Earl," she stammered and he only grinned.

"You're coming with me," he said before grabbing her arm.

_Flashback Over!_

Jikoku pinched the bridge of her nose, willing herself not to lash out since anyone of these people could probably kill her with ease. But why did they kidnap her and why was a large ribbon bow on top of her head?

They were all looking at her. The girl with purple hair that was wearing a white blouse, black skirt, and above the knee striped socks was clearly unimpressed. The guy with the dark curly hair tied back had on some kind of suit and was only mildly interested. The really big guy, wearing a different kind of suit than the other, was too busy eating, happily commenting on how sweet it was. Then there were the two boys. One had long blond hair with a light coming out of his head and stitches covering his mouth. He wore a vest with a fur lined hood over nothing. The other had spiky black hair. He had a white tank top with a red cross on it underneath a jacket lined in fur that hung off his shoulders. They were both staring intently at her, mischievous curiosity shone in their eyes. Trouble makers. Great.

"Happy birthday, Road," the Millennium Earl said. _Well that explains the bow,_ Jikoku thought when the only girl at the table spoke up.

"So…what is she?"

"I got her just for you to do your homework." This caught Jikoku's attention. Before she had been staring intently at the tasty looking food lying on the table. It only served to remind her that she hadn't eaten all day. She was almost certain her stomach had been growling.

"Wait, excuse me?" Jikoku asked, finally speaking up. "I am Jikoku, an apprentice Bookgirl, and I demand that you return me to the Black Order immediately!"

Everyone ignored her.

"Well at least Road won't make us do it anymore since a Bookman is surely more suitable to the task than the rest of us," the curly haired man reasoned, sounding more than a little relieved.

"So she's going to do _all_ of my work?" the girl named Road asked, a thoughtful look touched her features.

"Yeah, I thought we had agreed Road was going to start doing her own homework," the spiky black haired boy said.

"I am not going to do it! I am not going to be trapped here to do some girl's homework!" Jikoku yelled.

"So you don't want to stay with us if all you'd be doing is homework?" the Millennium Earl asked.

"No I don't."

"Alright then," he said and Jikoku's face brightened a bit until he added, "You can do work for all of us as a servant."

"WHAT! NO! No, no, no, no, no, no, no! I am not a servant. A servant gets paid something in return for their work and clearly I am getting nothing here."

"Alright then, you can be our slave," he decided happily.

"Fine! Wait what?!"

--

Jikoku sat with her arms crossed in front of her with Road sitting across the table, who had her knees up against the table's edge. Green/Blue eyes stared into amber eyes.

"Yes," Road said.

"No," Jikoku replied.

"Do it."

"I refuse." A stack of books were in front of the apprentice Bookgirl with a few pencils on top. She really didn't want to have to do someone else's work, especially after all the times Lavi had ditched her, but she was becoming restless and her hands were shaking a bit. It wasn't that she really did want to do the work but rather from years of practice she has trouble refusing to do something once assigned to her. Of course the longer she resisted it then the more she was going to get into it.

Road and Jikoku continued with their stare-off, although this was actually helping Jikoku. This helped keep her mind focused on something other than the books in front of her.

It almost worked too.

"So what'cha up to, _hii~_?" Jikoku literally jumped straight up in her chair. On one side of her was the blacked haired boy with the fuzzy jacket and on the other was the blond. If she remembered correctly, which she'd better considering her training, their names were Devitto and Jasdero or, as they're sometimes known, Jasdevi. She put a hand over her racing heart from the startle. Sadly, her gaze also dropped and happened to land right on the homework. Ah, damn it all.

Unable to help herself, Jikoku grabbed a pencil and book while sliding the rest to the side so she had more time to work. Without a word she started working, marveling at how easy the problems were. She would have thought more but now her attention was completely attuned to the work. She would barely speak and she won't be able to make herself move until all the problems are solved and solved correctly.

Road smirked.

"What does it look like? We're doing homework."

"Don't you mean _she's_ doing homework," Devitto sneered, a teasing tone to his voice.

"Shut up," Road and Jikoku said at the same time, although Jikoku's voice was more murmured. They all looked at her while she continued. "Working. Need quiet. Got to finish." She fell silent as she easily finished the math book which she moved to her right as she grabbed the geography book. Her pencil never stopped moving.

The twins looked at each other and grinned. They leaned in until they were right by her face before they yelled, "Boo!"

Jikoku barely flinched, her mind not paying attention to anything around her. They faces dropped a bit before they decided that they had found a new purpose. Find a way to distract the new girl while she's working.

--

As much as she hated to admit it the library was pretty damn nice. She had regretfully completed all of Road's homework and no one told her what she was supposed to do so Jikoku decided to wander around the place. Maybe she'd find a way to get back to the Black Order. But now she wanted to check something out.

Jikoku sat down cross-legged in one of the chairs after she pulled out her little book. She took a breath and closed her eyes before activating her Innocence. Random visions of the nearby future passed in front of her eyes until she focused her mind so that she could see if anyone was going to realize she was gone. She didn't see anything out of the ordinary but then very few people actually knew her so she decided to narrow her search to Lavi and the Bookman. They were going to be aware she was gone because she wasn't doing work but they both figured, or rather were going to figure, she was going to return soon. She tried to look farther, wanting to find out how long it would be until someone came to see her but the visions started to turn blurry and dark. Her first level wasn't powerful enough to see that far.

Which means it could be a very long time before anyone comes.

Jikoku opened her eyes and fought back the little bits of moisture threatening to come out from her different colored eyes. She returned her Innocence book back into her studded belt pocket when the Noah with the curly hair walked in. Tyki Mikk. According to the look on his face he wasn't expecting her to be in here.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"Sitting," she replied, free to use as much attitude as she wanted unlike when she was speaking to the Bookman or that crazed Komui. Tyki sighed and shook his head before picking a book from the shelves and going to the other chair.

So he was just going to ignore her? He was just sitting there reading. Weren't the Clan of Noah supposed to be a group of evil beings?

"By the way," he said, suddenly speaking up. _Oh great, here it comes. Are you going to order me around? Threaten me? Or perhaps just kill me now?_ "You might want to keep an eye out for Jadevi."

Well she didn't see that coming.

"What do you mean?" she asked, warily.

"On my way here I spotted them plotting." At her look, which was saying 'How can you be sure?' he added, "You can always tell when they're plotting because they'll be off in a corner whispering to each other, rather loudly I might add, with maniacal grins. I'm certain it has to do with you because they kept talking about 'the new girl' but who can guess at what they're planning?"

Jikoku opened her mouth to respond but couldn't think of what to say. Should she thank him for the warning? It was nice but he is one of the Clan of Noah. Yes? No? Yes? No? AGH!

"Th-thanks," she mumbled, so quiet she wasn't even sure he heard her, but the small smile that touched his lips said he did. Curse her upbringing that required her to be polite to everyone!

Silence passed back over the room as Tyki returned to his book. Jikoku stayed in her chair, pulling up her legs to wrap her arms around her knees. Her fingers lightly tapped against her pants legging as she also started tapping her foot on the chair. She 'hmm-ed' and leaped off her chair and started walking towards the door. She put a hand up in a non-waving good bye wave. Her final words left Tyki with a bewildered face.

"Well I'm going to go dye my hair green."

**Well that's all for now.**

**Hope you enjoyed.**

**Please review.**


	2. Chapter 2

**NEXT UP!!!!**

**--**

Long, lime green hair waved behind Jikoku as she walked. Her hair had had plenty of time to dry during the night in her new little room. Day two of kidnapping. Good thing she always kept an assortment of colored dyes with her wherever she went, just in case. The wonderful thing about having different colored eyes is that she could color her hair to anything because no matter what her hair and eyes were going to contradict each other anyway. Such as now: the new lime green complimented decently with her left eye, its color being a moss green, while it contradicted highly with her right eye, it being an ocean blue.

Well it helped a bit to cure her boredom but now she needed something to actually do.

Ideas and thoughts ran through her mind when a hand grabbed a chunk of her hair. Two hands actually.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, OW!!! Cut it out!" She whined as she was pulled back enough to actually see her attacker. Oh. Make that plural.

It was them.

"What's with your hair?" they both asked although Jasdero had an added on an unnecessary giggle to the end.

"I dyed it."

"Why?"

"I was bored," she answered plainly as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. They wore similar looks of 'What the fuck?'

She mentally shook her head, but noticed their clothes, or rather the lower half she couldn't see yesterday. Both had boots lined in fuzz like the jacket/vest and the pants had a gap going down the whole front of each leg with stitches crisscrossing the entire length, except that on Devitto's the left pants leg was just shorts with a red cloth tied around his thigh.

Apparently there was something they wanted her to do. They walked off, Jasdero hunched over slightly, and were clearly expecting her to follow. She did, but after she saw that the gap with stitches that was present on the front of the legs was also present on the back.

_They certainly leave an impression, don't they?_

--

Lavi was starting to get a little worried. He hadn't seen Jikoku since she had yelled at him yesterday and Pandaface had disappeared off to do some kind of research or something. There was a stack of papers that was recently placed on her desk that hasn't even been touched. Something had to be wrong because normally she'd be almost halfway through by now.

That's why he decided to ask around.

Only not a lot of people even knew who he was talking about. Several of them recognized his description, especially if she was angry and searching for Lavi's blood, and a lot less than that recognized the name.

After failing his quest he decided to go find Allen and Lenalee to ask their opinions.

--

"So let's recap," the Millennium Earl started. "You two wanted Miss Jikoku here to make you something to eat. She replied that she didn't know how but you made her anyway." Jasdevi nodded. "Once she finished it wasn't to your liking–"

"After I spent an hour working on it!" the girl in question argued.

"Because it was burnt black!" Devitto complained.

"She was supposed to be making ice cream, _hii_," Jasdero added.

Jikoku, Jasdevi, and the Millennium Earl were all sitting in the dining hall after the…incident involving ice cream, fire, and **a lot** of talent, although it wasn't a talent Jikoku was particularly proud of. She was a Bookgirl not a chef! She just happened to have the innate ability to ruin even the simplest of foods, thus seen from managing to burn ice cream.

Now the Millennium Earl was probably still trying to understand how, if she was making ice cream, the kitchen ended up in the state it did.

So Jikoku tried to explain. After she had finished and they blatantly refused it she got mad and…um, "coincidentally" a few things got broken around that time. She said she didn't know that hole could have gone through the fridge and counter and floor. Well the twins had started laughing about how much trouble she was going to get in so she said she'd pin it on them. They complained. They tried to force her to clean it all up so she tricked them into doing it through compliments. Just like Lavi they fell for it easy. Typical boys.

Sadly it wasn't such a good thing as she had expected.

Within five minutes there were bowls, silverware, plates, and glasses spread amongst the counters. Powdery foods such as flour and sugar clouded the air and clung to every surface. Paper and tape covered up the holes.

"Why don't you three just stay in here until it's all cleaned up," the Earl "suggested" which, of course, sounded more like an order he was daring them to disobey.

Then he left while those two unfortunate maid/butler people had to brave the mess and get it all cleaned up. It could be awhile.

So it begins.

Jikoku leaned her cheek against her hand and closed her eyes. Maybe if she let her mind wander then it wouldn't seem that long. Then she heard bottles opening. After a second she opened a single eye and stared at Jasdevi who were now both drinking from glass soda bottles.

"What are you two doing?" she asked before she could think better of it.

"What's it look like?" Devitto replied.

"Well where did the bottles come from?"

"None o' ya damn business," he laughed. She stifled a small chuckle.

"So you really are that small," she commented. She actually didn't think she had the right to say anything like that, considering she's never even kissed someone, much less have anything to do with _that._ Of course he still reacted the way she expected because while she didn't have any live experience, she has read quite a few romance novels in her time. They were very…informative although some of them sort of went into a little more detail than she'd like.

"Shut up!" The air between them was shocking with tension which went completely blank when Jasdero burped.

"Whoops, _hii_," he giggled and Devitto started to laugh too before chugging his own a letting out a slightly louder burp.

Jikoku felt like slapping her forehead as she muttered something to herself.

Jasdevi heard her.

"What was that?" Devitto demanded, although his tone wasn't angry. More competitive.

"I said pathetic, alright?"

"Can you do better, _hii_?" Jasdero asked.

"Maybe I can," she said offhandedly, although she was lying through her teeth. She'd never even had soda before. Alright yes, her life sucked! All work, with some light reading on the side along with throwing her Innocence at Lavi for not doing his work, and no play. She drank tea, had no friends, and never talked to anyone. Didn't have the time.

Suddenly both of them were standing on the table in front of her, grins on their faces. They shoved another bottle in front of her.

"Go for it then!"

Jikoku stared at the bottle for several moments before actually wrapping her fingers around it. After a moment she took a large gulp and felt her stomach bubble. She let the strange feeling flow up her chest until a small burp found its way through her lips. Everything was silent until Jasdero and Devitto started laughing.

"Was that really it?" Devitto called.

"That's it? That's it?" Jasdero giggled.

"Shut up!" she yelled at them, cheeks flushed, although the corners of her lips twitched upward a bit. Even though they were laughing at her it didn't feel mocking somehow. _Are these really the evil Noah trying to kill us?_ she wondered, but was pulled from her thoughts as she noticed movement near her. The twins had moved so that they were sitting on the edge of the table on either side in front of her and they were staring. Jikoku started to grow uncomfortable, so unused to people paying close attention to her, but the two boys either didn't noticed or were ignoring it.

There was a small feeling in her chest that she didn't want to acknowledge. Happiness. She loved how they were paying attention to her, no matter the reason. But she knew it was wrong.

"This eye's blue," Devitto commented.

"This eye's green," Jasdero commented.

Jikoku did a mental anime fall. Had they really just noticed that? She held back a sigh and looked at them. Their faces shared an almost child-like fascination.

"How'd you do that?" they asked.

"Um…I was born this way," she responded, unable to believe they actually asked that. They frowned, hoping that there would be more to the story. _Why else would I have different colored eyes?_ she wondered, but decided not to get into it.

Then Road walked in, books in her arms. She took one look at Jikoku and said, "Nice hair," before jumping up onto the table and crawling across is so that she was between the twins and right in front of the Bookgirl. She dropped the books on the table and started to explain all the problems and questions she was supposed to do. Each of the twins grabbed a book and flipped through the pages.

They were quickly taken back from the troublesome boys.

--

Lavi stared at the book in front of him in frustration. Why couldn't he find any information?

Earlier when he had spoken with Allen and Lenalee they couldn't think of where Jikoku could be. Then Yu had walked in and acting as if he knew everything, as usual, he asked if they had considered the Clan of Noah. Well of course Lavi had but he dismissed it because the Noah were designed to kill Exorcists so why would they kidnap her? Well however unlikely it got him to thinking. What if?

But he couldn't find the information to help him.

He was looking for a way to open Noah's Ark.

--

Jikoku's eye twitched a bit. Why were they staring at her? She was finishing up Road's homework and now she and the twins were all just sitting around her on the table watching her as they had been since she started.

She closed the book with a restrained sigh. Without a word she stood up and walked out, wanting some peace.

To the library.

Thanks to her Bookman training she easily found her way back to the room where books covered the walls.

As she stepped onto the wooden flooring she noticed Tyki already sitting in a chair, a book in hand. He looked up at her with a surprised face.

"You're hair…" he trailed off.

"I told you I was going to," she stated, moving to and sitting in the extra chair. Without paying any mind to the Noah beside her she pulled out her Innocence. Placing it in the palm of her hand she placed the other one on top and muttered, "Activate," and the book flew open to a random page. _Show me Lavi,_ she thought, focusing her mind.

He was in the Bookman's office. A worried yet grim look was on his face. He was reading and writing down notes. She couldn't tell what it was. Wetness clung to her eyelashes. Was he not even trying to find her? _He's probably upset because Pandaface threatened him into doing his work again._

Jikoku closed her Innocence and let it lay in her lap. Her eyes fell on it and traced the white lines all the way to the Black Order's insignia.

A tear drop landed in the center.

Jikoku's shoulders started shaking as more tears spilled over from the corners of her eyes and traced her cheeks only to fall on the insignia resting on her Innocence. Her voice was broken with sobs and she wrapped her arms around herself.

Why wouldn't the tears stop flowing?

This wasn't the place for sadness. She needed to be brave but…what did she have to look forward to? Hardly anybody even realized she was gone and not even Lavi was searching.

"H-hey, don't do that," she heard Tyki stammer. She turned her head to stare at him, her eyes already rimmed in red. "Girls aren't pretty when they cry."

"Well that makes me feel better!" she yelled, eyes hardening. She held up her Innocence but right before she chucked it at him she remembered that if it hit him than it would basically break. She didn't want her Innocence to break. With a grunt she got up, placed the book back inside her belt pouch, and started walking towards the door. Although she made a small detour to the bookshelf and grabbed a random book, looked at it, and threw it right at his head.

Jikoku still had perfect aim.

She stomped out the door, a few tears still evident in her eyes, but froze. As she started to think about it she let out a large sigh and walked back to the door. Leaning in with both hands on either side of the doorframe, she looked at Tyki.

"Hey," she said and he looked up from his book. "Thanks for trying."

**--**

**Well that's it for now.**

**Hope you enjoyed.**

**Review.**


	3. Chapter 3

**What could possibly happen next?**

**I actually don't know yet.**

**Also, Jikoku means Time in Japanese, because of her Innocence. Hell is Jigoku.**

A week. Jikoku sat on her bed, head in her hands, deep in thought. She had been here a whole week. She hasn't activated her Innocence since the time she saw Lavi studying.

She's afraid of what she'll see.

What could she do? She's tried finding ways to escape but the only way she's found so far is Noah's Ark. She shook her head and fell back, her head landing on her pillow. Her hair, still lime green, clouded around her. Jikoku sighed as she fingered a strand of her strangely colored locks. She was getting bored of it.

She rolled off her bed and walked into the bathroom that was connected to it. It was pretty standard layout with a shower, toilet, sink, and even a towel rack. Turning the water in the shower to hot she grabbed some towels and went back into her room. She unzipped her Exorcist jacket and laid it neatly on the covers and she also took off her belt and boots. As she stood there in her pants and sleeveless shirt, she started thinking that she was probably getting too comfortable here. But the Noah are nothing like she was taught. She learned they were evil and were trying to kill Exorcists, like herself, but these Noah were just so…ridiculous.

Jikoku shook her head. She didn't want to think like that. Instead she directed her energy to pulling her shirt off over her head and sliding out of her pants and finally her underwear. She went back into the bathroom and brushed out her hair in front of the mirror. Once she was satisfied that it was clear of knots she stepped into the running water, letting her mind go blank as she cleaned herself off. She ended up washing her hair five times before the lime green dye started to finally fade, of course by then the water had turned cold. She turned the water off and stepped out onto the white tiled floor.

It was cold.

She grabbed a towel, which for some reason was pale orange, and wrapped it around herself, it only going just below her butt. She grabbed a brush and started to run it through her hair over the sink, which she turned on to get the last bit of lime green coloring out of her hair.

As she ran the brush through her hair, successfully removing all tangles and most of the hair dye, someone started pounding on the door. She looked up from her position (leaning over the sink) and blinked.

The door was kicked open. She stared with open eyes as the twins busted in and shut the door. She heard yelling and pounding feet pass by. Her gaze returned to Jasdero and Devitto who were looking at each other, grinning, before they actually took in their surroundings. Their golden eyes fell on the Bookgirl who returned their stare. Jikoku had expected them to look away but they kept gazing at her and it was kind of creeping her out. She knew she had a decent body, not to seem conceited of course: small breasts, a thin waist, and small hips. All soft curves.

"Do I want to know?" was all she asked and they promptly responded by shaking their heads. They were still grinning. "Perhaps, instead, I'll ask why you decided to go into my room and, apparently, my bathroom." Her voice was stern.

"Hoping to see you naked," Devitto said with a lecherous grin as Jasdero followed with, "Naked, naked, _hii~_" Jikoku's face flushed and she unconsciously gripped tighter at her towel before the two boys started laughing. "I told you she'd fall for it!" Damn Devitto and Jasdero who kept saying, "Fell for it. Fell for it," followed along by his annoying giggle. Her eyes narrowed but part of being a Bookgirl was learning to keep her emotions in check so Jikoku ignored the two of them and brushed past to open the door and get dressed.

She reached her bed before looking over her shoulder at the two of them and asking, "Do you mind?"

"Not at all, _hii~_"

"Go right ahead."

Jikoku rolled her eyes as she figured that there was no way she could get them out of her room until inspiration struck. She grinned evilly at them and softly opened her door. Jikoku leaned her head out, careful to keep most of her toweled body inside, and took a deep breath.

"Skin! Jasdevi's in here!" she yelled as loud as she could before quickly backing up and jumping on her bed, curling her legs beneath her. Seconds later the large Noah was at her door frame. He didn't give her a single look as her except for when she pointed towards the bathroom door, which had just been slammed shut. A small click told her the door had been locked. She sweat dropped when Skin slammed his fist through the wood, effectively demolishing the door, but he came back through dragging the twins by the hoods of their jackets.

Jikoku couldn't help but grin and wave goodbye to them.

The stares she got from Jasdevi surprised her. Their eyes held a mixture of fear, disbelief, and a little admiration.

"They're psychos," she commented blandly before she shook her head and got up to close her door and get dressed. Her feet skillfully avoided the wooden shards of what used to be her bathroom door that littered the ground. She was definitely getting too comfortable here.

**Let's check on Lavi.**

Lavi scribbled down any tiny piece of information he could find on Noah's Arc which sadly wasn't a lot. The only people who knew the information he needed were the ones he suspected. In a fit of fury he threw the book he held at the door which, at that very moment, opened to reveal Allen. The white-haired exorcist's eyes widened as the book ran into his forehead.

"Oh, sorry, Allen," Lavi sighed, leaning his cheek on his hand.

"Um, is this the place?" a quiet voice asked from behind Allen. The girl from a week ago walked inside, a small flush in her cheeks. "Oh, Lavi, uh, hi. I was wondering if you might, I mean, if you wanted to, uh, go out with me." She had short red-blond hair and sea foam eyes. Plus she was kinda busty.

Normally Lavi would say yes in a second but much to the surprise of everyone in the room he didn't even think before promptly responded, "I'm sorry, but I can't." He got up to grab a book off the shelf but ignored them. The poor girl, now rejected, ran off in tears while Allen stayed behind.

"Are you alright, Lavi?" he asked, worried.

"I'm fine. Just busy." Allen nodded but the worry never left as he walked closer.

"It isn't your fault," he said, stepping over a book on the floor. Lavi didn't reply but he did pause in his work.

"I have to find her," the Bookman apprentice said after a minute of silence. Allen understood how important this was to him so he put a comforting hand on Lavi's shoulder.

"Alright then." Allen turned and left.

**Back to Jikoku…same day, by the way.**

"Here you go," Road smiled creepily, handing her a piece of paper.

"Um…thank you," Jikoku said warily as she looked at the piece of paper before her.

_You are invited to my tea party._

_Place: My play room._

_Time: Whenever I feel like._

_Check the 'Yes' box if you plan on coming._

After a moment Jikoku asked, "Road? Where's the 'No' box?" Road just smiled at her.

It was both innocent and creepily evil.

"Oh, you aren't saying no." With that simple phrase, Road skipped off. Jikoku watched her go thinking, _I really don't get her._

**Even later that day.**

Jikoku wandered the hallways. At first it had amazed her how open they were to letting her walk around freely but then it had hit her: they were just so sure she couldn't find a way out. She was sort of in a different dimension, right? They knew she couldn't leave so why bother watching her all the time? She sighed. These Noah bickered like siblings, mostly when Devitto and Jasdero were involved, and they still had the edge over her! Her stomach growled and Jikoku remembered that she hadn't eaten much of anything today. She made a stop by her room, most of the wooden shards were gone but then so was her bathroom door still. She groaned in annoyance. How exactly was she supposed to fix that?

Instead of thinking about it she brushed her hair and headed off towards the kitchen except she hadn't taken two steps out the door when something hit the back of her neck and her sight went black.

**Shortly after that.**

She came to not that long after and the first thing she noticed was the small rope tying her to her chair, although her arms were still free. Her gaze went up and saw Road smiling at her. She blinked. She looked around the dark room that had a bunch of candles floating around. She was about to ask what was going on when a muffled yell sounded next to her. Jikoku looked to her left and saw Devitto and Jasdero tied to the chair, only their arms were also bound, and they also had gags in their mouths. They were obviously angry as they struggled against the rope. She continued to look around and saw Tyki sitting across the table next to Road, a small book in his hand, and at the head of the table was the Millennium Earl. Jikoku repressed a shiver when their eyes met for an instant and she looked away almost immediately.

As much as she hated to admit it: he scared her.

"Um…Road? What's going on here?" she asked the almost scary girl although it was Tyki who answered.

"Road decided _now_ would be a good time to have her little tea party," he sighed. He had obviously been quite content in the library.

"Right…well, um, where's Skin?" she asked and Road merely grinned.

"Oh, well I guess you could say I 'ran out of invitations' so he couldn't come." Jikoku smiled nervously.

The following awkwardness was beyond what Jikoku could have imagined. Tyki read his book, Jasdero and Devitto fought against their binds and gags, Road was smiling the entire time, and the Earl…well, she was trying not to look at him too much. Eventually the Earl told Jikoku to take the gags off of Jasdevi so that they could eat something.

They were apparently very hungry. Once they could freely speak they started whining about wanting food but Road commented that she wasn't going to let them go. So they turned to Jikoku.

"Let us go," they said and she hesitated but knew who she was more scared of.

"Sorry, but I follow Road's orders before your's," she choked out, not realizing exactly how hard it would be to actually admit to that until she said it. She wanted to go home so badly.

"Then at least feed us!" they demanded. Her green/blue eyes widened and her face turned a little red, but thankfully not enough to be noticed. She hesitated, to determine whether they were serious or not but by the opening of their mouths she figured it out. The rest of the Noah were watching to see what she would do which only put pressure on Jikoku.

"Stop watching!" she snapped, though she instantly regretted it. Tyki seemed a little shocked, Road frowned, and the Millennium Earl has an unreadable face that scared her more than anything. She gulped and grabbed something without even checking what it was. It felt like sushi though. Uncomfortable she held it out towards Devitto as he closed his mouth around it, her fingers included. Heat raced up her neck and her gaze dropped to her lap. He sucked on her fingers a bit before releasing them.

Jikoku didn't like the warm feeling that was growing in her chest.

Well not she had to feed Jasdero and that was going to be harder. She gazed at the stitches covering his mouth and picked up another piece of sushi. As she leaned over to try and feed the blond-haired twin, Devitto tried to snatch the food but missed, instead biting her hand. In shock she almost dropped the sushi but thankfully she kept hold of it. Trying to slip the piece through the stitches probably would have been hard even without Devitto refusing to release her hand, but when Jikoku tried it went right through. The stitches didn't get any wider and the sushi didn't get any smaller but it went straight into his mouth.

Now if Devitto would just stop biting her.

She gazed expectantly at him but he stared right back with a glint in his eyes. It worried her but she couldn't think on it because she felt something warm and wet sliding against her hand. The creep was licking her! In her mind Jikoku handled it very well…in reality she squealed and pull her hand back, forcing him to let go. Her face was bright red and everyone else in the room was laughing at her expense. It made her sad and she felt the pressure build up behind her eyes but she refused to cry in front of them.

Thank the Lord for Tyki Mikk!

He could see her eyes clouding over and he commented that he found a book in the library he thought she would enjoy. He asked if she wanted him to show her. Jikoku thankfully nodded, smiling in appreciation for him.

**Shortly after **_**that**_**.**

Jikoku laid face down on her pillow. She had no idea what was going on with her. A sigh left her lips and tears left her eyes. She had actually started to feel almost…at home here. It's only been a week but they paid attention to her. Talked to her. How could she have been so gullible? This was no home. She was practically a hostage.

She sighed as lifted herself up off her bed. There was no use in whining. It wouldn't change anything. Jikoku sat up and thought about it. _That's right! It'll all turn out fine! They'll come and…_

Why did she not want to complete that thought? What was she afraid of? That they wouldn't come? Or that she wouldn't want to leave? Jikoku mentally slapped herself. What was she thinking? Of course she wants to go back.

Of course.

Jikoku pulled herself into her bathroom, through the doorframe that still lacked a door from the incident this morning. Without a care she chucked off her clothes, tossed her Innocence onto her bed, and stepped into the shower. Cold water poured onto her skin and she reveled in it as thoughts swirled around her head. This place was affecting her. She needed to find a way out as soon as possible.

She turned off the water. Her feet slapped the floor as she walked to the mirror, not bothering to grab a towel, and stared at her reflection. A green eye and a blue eye stared back at her. Her eyes. She was still herself, right? So shouldn't she…

"We have got to keep meeting like this." Jikoku's eyes widened as her gaze shot towards the doorframe. Devitto and Jasdero were there, leaning against either side, looking back at her, or rather her uncovered body. She grabbed the nearest towel and held it in front of her.

"Get out," she demanded, but they merely shook their heads.

"No can do. We're under direct orders to fix your door," they both responded and she grimaced, noticing that both of them were wearing tool belts.

"There's no door left to fix, morons." Jikoku was starting to get a weird feeling in her stomach.

They took a step forward.

"Don't be like that, _hii~_" Jasdero cooed, mockingly. The feeling got stronger.

"Seriously. We only wanted to help," Devitto added, his mischievous grin revealing his real thoughts.

They kept walking forward and with each step she felt hotter, despite the cold shower she just took.

"Get out," she repeated, coldly.

They just kept coming, making the feeling so much stronger and her core so much hotter.

"What's the matter?" they teased.

"Get out!" Jikoku screamed throwing whatever was closest to her at them, this happened to be a bar of soap. The two boys finally backed out, hands up in mock surrender, laughing. When they reached the doorframe they both winked at her and ran off.

A sigh of relief escaped her lips as she wrapped the towel around her, securely, and walked into her room. She sat down on her bed and looked over at where her Innocence landed. Slowly she reached a hand out towards it but when it was a mere inch away she froze. Hesitated. That scared her more than anything. Why would she hesitate? Scared of what she would see? Jikoku pushed herself to touch it but she couldn't pick it up. Not right now.

After tying her wet hair up, Jikoku laid her head down on her pillow, not bothering to dry off or get dressed.

"What's wrong with me?" she asked herself as she fell asleep, clutching the towel.

**That was some wait, huh?**

**Sorry about that.**

**I hope this chapter makes up for it.**

**Review, please!**


	4. Chapter 4

**My next chapter!**

**REVIEW! PLEASE!**

**~I~**

Jikoku shot up out of bed, her tangled blond hair curling around her face. She sneezed. Then she hiccupped. What a wonderful start to the morning. Something seemed weird though; it was deathly quiet. She loved the peacefulness of silence, though right now she didn't trust it. Slipping off her bed, the young Bookgirl apprentice let the towel she fell asleep in fall to the floor as she made her way to her doorless bathroom, her small feet carefully avoiding the splinters of wood that still littered the floor. She continued to hiccup. After brushing her hair and taking a quick bath, hoping to stall her having to leave the safety of her room, she pulled on her Exorcist jacket over her sleeveless shirt and her pants before dropping her Innocence into her side pocket.

As she opened the door, on her way towards breakfast, she was met by a jack-o-lantern with a grotesque face stationed right outside, a rope hanging it from the ceiling so that it was at face level.

Unable to suppress it, Jikoku screamed and fell back from the startle and she was met by the laughter of two teenage boys.

At least her hiccups vanished.

~I~

Everywhere Jikoku looked there was some kind of new horror, either hanging from the ceiling or walls. Skeletons hanging on the walls, cobwebs (complete with large _moving_ spiders) on the corners, freaked writing on the walls. She never was much of a haunted person and she had to wonder why was all this stuff suddenly here? None of the decorations, at least she prayed they were only decorations, where there the night before.

She got her answer at the table.

"It's Halloween?" she demanded. How could she not have realized that it was so close back when she was still in the Black Order a week ago?

"Exactly. And all of us generally go out to cause all sorts of mayhem," Devitto explained, obviously holding back a laugh from scaring her with that damn pumpkin earlier.

"Hee hee, lots of fun~" Jasdero added. The twins were sitting in their chairs with their legs propped up on the table, Devitto with his hands behind his head and Jasero playing with the light that hung over his head.

"What those two idiots mean is that we all go off and do our own thing on Halloween, instead of staying holed up here," Road said from her seat, her feet pressed against the table's edge.

Jikoku's gaze traveled between Jasdevi and Road and Tyki. It still amazed her that these…killers always seemed so…relaxed. If she hadn't been taught for years now than she never would have guessed that these Noah were as evil as they're supposed to be. Crazy: yes; evil: no.

"So do I just stay here, then?" she asked, curiously, though half-wished she hadn't. Jasdevi spoke up quickly and almost excitedly said she should go with them for some fun. Jikoku was almost positive that she didn't want to know what qualified as _fun_ for the twins during Halloween. Even better, Road offered to let her tag along and while Jikoku decided that it would be better to spend the day with Road than with Devitto and Jasdero although neither ideas filled Jikoku with anticipation.

"Perhaps she should accompany me," Tyki suggested. "I doubt she'd enjoy attacking villages or searching for young Allen Walker." Jikoku couldn't help but nod in agreement with the more reasonable Noah.

"Fine," Road groaned, "but she can't wear that! She'll stand out too much! Exorcists would recognize her in a second!" With a blank look, the exorcist looked up and down her uniform and knew that Road was right.

"I suppose you have something she could wear, then?" he asked.

Through a series of complex events far too gruesome and horrifying to describe, Jikoku found herself standing in her bathroom staring at herself in the mirror. The dress Road gave her was black, with a white underdress, that fell to her mid-thigh and revealed a lot more skin than she normally preferred, because her arms were also bare in the sleeveless dress.

Also she had decided to dye her hair orange…to match the holiday and all.

~I~

Lavi slipped on his coat and ran a hand through his red hair. He was preparing to go on a mission with Allen and Lenalee which would normally be great but because of it he wouldn't have any time to look for Jikoku. He was going to go meet up with his friends before being told that Komui wanted to speak with him. _What could he want?_

"Lavi, I wanted to talk to you about something very important," Komui said, lifting his head up from his desk as Lavi stepped cautiously around the stacks and piles of paper covering the floor.

"Yeah, what it is?" Lavi asked, curiously. Komui stood up from his desk and went to stand by the window of his office.

"It's about your fellow Bookman Apprentice, Jikoku. You've spent the last week researching about where she could be, correct?" Lavi didn't answer but his expression was answer enough for Komui. "I know you're worried but you can't let it interfere with your work for the Black Order, understand?" Lavi remained silent. Komui walked over and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "She can take care of herself, Lavi."

Those words struck something in Lavi. She could take care of herself, couldn't she? Her Innocence wasn't any good for fighting but Jikoku made up for that with her cunning intelligence and fiery temper.

"You're right. She can."

"Now go find Allen and my _darling_ Lenalee. Halloween always was popular with the wrong crowd."

Lavi nodded and just before he left he said, "Thanks, Komui."

~I~

Jikoku was biding her time. She was going to escape. This might be her only chance and thankfully she was with Tyki, who had been far nicer to her even if he did hardly speak to her as they read in the library. He and she were walking together although he had given her a real scare earlier. They had been side by side but then she looked at him and there was some creepy hobo guy there instead! Thankfully it turned out to be Tyki because Jikoku just about had a heart attack.

The town they were in really went to extremes for Halloween. There were pumpkins and decorations and costumes and candy everywhere. _Those pumpkin pastries smell absolutely delicious! _she thought, breathing it in. As they walked she saw vendors everywhere trying to sell their merchandise to everyone that walked by. They kept pulling her over and walking with her but Tyki told her to just ignore them. Thankfully they would all stop after a minute or two.

"-okay?" Jikoku was pulled from her thoughts.

"What?" she asked, laughing nervously, causing Tyki to sigh.

"I asked if you would be okay by yourself for just a minute or so while I meet up with some friends of mine," he repeated causing her to gasp in surprise. Enough so that she actually stopped walking. He would leave her alone?

"I can take care of myself, Tyki," she replied, repressing the urge to roll her eyes. Common sense caught up with her.

"That's not why I was asking. You won't run away, will you? I'd hate for things to get rough between us…besides if you managed to escape than _I'm_ the one who will get scolded, especially from Devitto and Jasdero."

"Don't worry. I'll just stay around here. Maybe look at some of the shops," she lied. She had no intention of staying here now that she was being given a chance to get back to the Black Order. Tyki decided to trust her and took his leave, though not before watching her walk into a shop of scented candles.

He was going to go play some cards with his friends, like always.

Jikoku ran out of the shop and in the opposite direction. He knew she did, but he didn't bother himself. It wouldn't be that hard to find an orange-haired girl with one blue eye and one green eye. She, however, was doing what she could; fighting through the crowds, hoping to get away from the Noah.

Then she heard it. That laughter. It was hard to hear through all the celebrations but it was definitely there. She followed her ears and there he was. The sun shined up his red hair as he leaned on his hammer Innocence. Her eyes started to water as she started to smile. She began to call his name, running towards him, before she saw that he was standing with Allen and Lenalee.

She slowed to a stop and paused staring at the three friends. She couldn't move. Jikoku willed herself to go over there so that she could go back home but her hands shook and wouldn't obey her. What was wrong with her? Her eyes began to water. Did she want to go back to that? Go back to being an apprentice Bookman with no hope of ever surpassing Lavi merely because of her gender? She certainly didn't blame him for that but why was she still the one to do all the work? Helping him when he fell behind? The one without friends while he was constantly going on missions with his?

Slowly she back up into the crowd just before Lavi looked up in her direction.

~I~

Lavi stood by Allen and Lenalee. They were supposed to hang around this town because it was popular for akuma attacks during the Halloween season. So for the moment they had nothing to do until people started screaming, so they stood around and watched the festivities. Actually, he could have sworn he heard his name but he must have misheard. The red-head leaned on his hammer and looked up just as he saw orange hair disappear into the crowd.

"I wonder who that could've been," he mused to himself.

"Huh?" Lenalee asked, unsure what he had said.

"Oh, uh, nothing!"

"Sometimes you are just too weird, Lavi," she commented. Lavi nodded sheepishly while Allen laughed, though there was something digging in the back of his mind about that orange hair. After a minute he ran off into the direction the person went. He wasn't sure why but he knew he needed to find her. The best he could do was ask people if anyone had seen a girl with long orange hair. They led him to the train station.

Lavi ran through the people and arrived just as the train was leaving. He scanned every window as it passed and in one window he saw a flash of orange but the eyes sent him running over. An ocean blue eye with a mossy green one rimmed in red.

"Jikoku!" She stared back at him but made no movement to get off the train. "Jikoku?" Eventually Lavi reached the end of the way though the train continued on down the tracks while Allen and Lenalee ran up behind him. They both had worried looks on their faces, directed towards him. He didn't even notice the strange looks they were receiving from the people around them.

"Lavi, are you alright?" Allen asked.

"You look like you've seen a ghost," Lenalee added. The red head was silent, looking off in the direction of the train. Had that really been her? No, it couldn't be. If it was her than she would have gotten off and come to him. Come home.

~I~

Tyki, decked out in his hobo gear, walked the length of the train with his human friends. His plan was to ride around and play cards and then he'd go pick up the Exorcist back in town. Surely she'd be able to survive a few hours alone. As they walked they told anyone who wanted to could come gamble in the back when he heard a light sob coming from up ahead. It didn't mean much to him until he walked passed and saw Jikoku.

"Eh…why don't you guys go ahead?" he suggested to his friends.

"Alright, but you'd better hurry," they said and continued on. Tyki sat down across from the Exorcist and hung an arm on the top of the seat.

"Are you all right?" he asked, though he could tell she wasn't. Her head leaned against the window pane, her eyes red and puffy from crying but also dull and pained. She didn't even spare him a glance. He sighed. "Look, if you want to go back…I'll cover for you." Even with his voice flat and practically uncaring, Tyki expected this to cheer her up but it only caused tears to slip down her cheeks. "Eh, what's wrong?" His voice was hectic since he wasn't good at dealing with crying women.

"B-because I," she wept, "I'm not sure th-that I-I want to anymore!" Jikoku dropped her face into her hands and leaned her elbows on the table, her shoulder were shaking.

"Oh, damn, please don't cry," he pleaded. She should probably just come with him, seeing as she was already on…the…train. "Hey, what are you doing on this train anyway? Didn't I tell you to stay in town?"

This caused Jikoku to pause.

"Eh…no…I don't think so…" she lied unconvincingly. Tyki only sighed, sending them into a brief moment of silence. She used this time to wipe her eyes and looked up at Tyki. Frankly his whole hobo look still weirded her out.

"So…can you play cards?" he asked.

~I~

"No way! Not again!" Jikoku cheerfully laughed as she reshuffled the deck of cards. Her latest victim stood up almost in tears as he stomped off with far less money than he had gotten onto the train with. Tyki's friends were practically praising her.

"Where did you find this girl?" one of them had asked after her first few wins. Jikoku had tied up her long, currently orange, hair to keep it out of her face so that she could watch every facial expression of her opponents. Gambling was so much easier than she thought it was. Even Tyki was amazed at how fast she picked it up, but it was part of her job to learn and to learn quickly.

Another challenger stepped into the train car.

Tyki gave Jikoku an encouraging smile, which she returned. However, while he was glad she was no longer crying, he could still see the redness in her eyes.

They rode the train for several hours until the sun was starting to set outside. Tyki deemed that they should probably get back, though he didn't mention where in front of his human friends. Once they all said goodbye, his friends insisting that she come again since they'd never won so much money before, Jikoku and Tyki walked down the street of the town.

Thankfully, Tyki ditched the hobo disguise and within a few steps he wore his normal suit and top hat without the creepy glasses and his hair pulled back.

Also, despite his words of going back to Noah's Arc, they stopped for some of those pumpkin pastries that she smelled earlier. They munched and just as they stepped outside the pastry shop Jikoku heard a loud crash as a large black blur flew past them. Her bi-colored gaze widened as she recognized what it must be. Her hand reached for her Innocence only to touch air. _Oh no! How could I forget! Road wouldn't allow me to leave while I still had it! What am I supposed to do?_ It never occurred to Jikoku that since she was standing with one of the Noah she had nothing to worry about for herself.

In fact, Tyki wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her back as a young boy with shockingly white hair jumped into view, followed by an older looking girl with long, dark ponytails. Allen and Lenalee! As Jikoku was pulled farther back into the shop, through the window she saw the red hair of Lavi who was returning her stare. His visible eye widened and once he knocked a second akuma away with his hammer he ran towards the pastry shop she and Tyki were in. She hesitated in moving, though the Noah didn't and dropped his arm to grab her wrist and pull her to the back door of the shop.

By the time Lavi followed them out there they were already gone.

~I~

Lavi stood at the back of the shop looking up and down the alley ways he had just ran through before dropping to his knees. Did he really just fail? It was her. He saw her but wasn't able to rescue her.

He could hear footsteps running towards him and he barely looked up to see that it was Allen and Lenalee.

"Well thanks for the help, Lavi," Lenalee said sarcastically, though good-naturedly. When the Bookman Apprentice didn't respond she asked, "Is everything okay?"

"Lavi?" Allen started, though Lavi's shoulder began to shake with humorless laughter. He held an arm in front of his eyes.

"She's still dying her hair those ridiculous colors," he fake laughed through gritted teeth.

**~I~**

**Thanks for reading, everyone!**

**Review please!**

**And don't worry, I plan on making Jikoku a good bit less whiney in chapters to come.**


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